Breese joy at perfect send-off

GARETH Breese says he could not have asked for a better send-off in his final game at the Riverside than the stirring victory which saw Durham through to a one-day final.

The 38-year-old, who is in his final and testimonial season at the Emirates ICG made an important contribution with three Notts wickets and said he felt elated to be part of such a great team performance after losing an important toss.

“The conditions when we first started the game were a little bit of a worry,” he acknowledged.

“It had rained plenty before the game and then we lost the toss and were put into bat and it looked as though it would be a really uphill task for us.

“But the guys just batted incredibly on the day – I don’t think they could have batted any better.

“The Colonel, Phil Mustard, played a very important innings in giving us a real foundation while scoring quickly and then Ben Stokes came in and showed why he is an England player with a tremendous effort.

“I hope he takes confidence out of that and takes that form into the Lord’s final.

“If he can play like that at Lord’s then we’ll all be very happy.”

As well as praising his team-mates, Breese took quiet satisfaction in his own contribution, taking wickets as his proud family watched on.

And after his final ball at the Emirates ICG, he received an emotional ovation from the home crowd which he admitted left him choked.

“I was pleased with my bowling,” he smiled modestly. “ I think 3-53 was a nice way to sign off at the Riverside.

“I’ve never been a star player and I’ve always accepted that.

“But I’ve always looked to contribute and there’s definitely a big role for players who might not be a star names or catch the eye particularly but who can always do a good job for the team.”

“It was quite an emotional day for me and it was great for me to have my children here to see the back end of my professional career.”